The Science of Success Podcast

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The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing with Daniel Pink

Lace Gilger
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In this episode we discuss the secrets of perfect timing. Is there really a science to timing the most important things in life? Is it possible that something as simple as time of day could impact the effectiveness of doctors and other medical experts? Can you align your day to be more effective just by changing the time that you do certain activities? We dig into these questions and much more as we explore the truth about the power of time - with Dan Pink.

Dan Pink is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple award winning books including his most recent work When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Dan has been named one of Thinkers 50’s top 15 business thinkers in the world. His TED talk on the science of motivation is one of the 10 most-watched TED talks of all time and his work has been featured across the globe.

  • Is timing an art or a science?

  • The science of timing is multi-disciplinary challenge

  • The power of multi-disciplinary thinking and how thinking between and beyond the boundaries of academic disciplines gives us the more coherent picture of reality

  • We don’t take WHEN as seriously as WHAT

  • Science say about constructing better daily architectures?

  • The three major day parts - Peak / Trough / Recovery

  • How we should think about aligning our day around each of these periods

  • Our “vigilance” peaks in the morning

  • Align Analytic, Administrative, Creative

  • We see the same patterns across different domains of life

  • All times of day are not created equal

  • The performance gap is pretty astounding

  • Why you should never go to the doctors office in the afternoon

  • “The Science of Breaks” is proving to be really powerful

  • The science of “breaks” is where the science of sleep was 15 years ago

  • “Breaks are for wimps, breaks are a sign of weakness” - this is totally wrong

  • Professionals take breaks, amateurs don't

  • The three “chronotypes” - the field of chronobiology

    • Morning people - “larks

    • Evening people - “owls"

    • Intermediate people - “third birds"

  • “The Munich Chronotype Questionnaire"

  • Does fasting raise your energy levels throughout the day?

  • Does caffeine positively or negatively our energy flow throughout the day?

  • Take a cup of coffee and then a short nap - will energize you tremendously

  • Our lives are a series of episodes, not a clear linear progression

  • Life is full of Beginnings, Middles, and Ends - and each affects us differently

  • Middles can bring us up or bring us down

  • Mid points are often invisible to us

  • Homework: Make a “break list"

  • A small break is better than no break at all

  • Moving is better than not moving

  • Social is better than solo

  • Best breaks are FULLY detached

  • Homework: Track your daily behavior

  • Set an alarm every 45min to an hour

  • How do I feel right now 1-10

  • How am I worked right now 1-10?

  • Chart those answers over time for a week or two

  • Homework: Observe your own behavior and conduct small experiments - A/B Test on yourself

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